IBTC 2025: about the sessions

With a keynote and six breakout sessions, the International Bike & hike Tourism Conference (IBTC) presents a complete substantive program. What exactly were those keynotes about? Below you can read a summary.
 

Keynote

 

Tim Voors
Writer & long-distance walker
 

The Fishermen’s Trail

Walking with my daughter and walking alone. The physical, mental and spiritual journey.  

 

The keynote speaker Tim Voors is a writer, adventurer and long-distance walker. After the success of his first book ‘Alone’, about his journey on foot from Mexico to Canada, he wrote books about his treks in New Zealand, Portugal and Sweden. He knows like no other how to captivate the room and take the audience with him on his journey with wonderful photos and the many amusing and moving experiences he had.

At the IBTC he will talk about his trip in Portugal along the Fishermen's Trail. Tim is joined on this trip by his daughter Antonia. Together they walk 100 kilometers along this old fishing path. In the warm spring sun they follow the trail through the soft sand and over high cliffs. They swim in the sea every day, surf, eat a lot of grilled fish and have long conversations.

After a week, father and daughter say goodbye and Tim continues his journey along the endless Atlantic Ocean, towards Sagres, 'the end of the world'. Along the way he makes drawings and thinks about the relationship with his children who are almost out of the house. A walking story about fatherhood, letting go and the art of enjoyment.

Breakout sessions

Richard Bowen
Portfolio Manager with Transport Infrastructure Ireland

The Development of Ireland's National Cycle Network

Ireland's National Development Plan 2021 - 2030 identified the need for the development of  "a National Cycling Network Strategy which will both map existing cycling infrastructure and identify gaps where future investment could be focused in order to establish a comprehensive and connected cycling network around Ireland."  In January 2024, Ireland's Minister for Transport published the National Cycle Network (NCN) Plan which identifies a proposed 3,500 km of integrated cycle network in the Republic of Ireland aiming to connect over 200 cities, towns and villages with a combined population of 2.8 million people leading to 80% of houses and 89% of jobs being within 5 km of the network. The network is designed to be of use to all cyclists, both those taking recreational and tourism journeys and those undertaking more functional journeys.

This session will provide an overview of the procedures involved the development of the NCN Plan including the extensive public and stakeholder consultations undertaken by the project team and some of the findings arising from these.  The session will also explore the plans and processes for the implementation of the network including the potential use of rapid build interventions making use of existing low traffic roads.

Brief mention will be made of how the Irish experience in developing their national cycle network contributed to the development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe guide for designation of national cycle networks.

Richard Bowen

Richard is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 30 years post graduate experience in both the public and private sectors in various fields of civil engineering.  For the past 18 years, Richard has worked with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) initially in the delivery of major and minor road upgrades and more recently in the delivery of new cycle infrastructure. Richard led the team that prepared the National Cycle Network (NCN) Plan for Ireland. Richard is currently leading a Portfolio Management Team overseeing and managing the implementation of the NCN Plan. 


 

Christian Tänzler 
Spokesperson visitBerlin and
ADFC (German Cyclist`Association) Member of Board - Cycling Tourism

The do's and dont´s of the cycling promotion and policy of Berlin

In recent years, Berlin has invested heavily in promoting cycling as a sustainable mode of transport - for residents and visitors as well. The Berlin Mobility Act of 2018 laid the foundation for the further development of (bicycle-) transport. For the first time, a German federal state has enshrined the priority of the environmental alliance of local public transport, walking and cycling in the Mobility Act: An important basis for making cycling in Berlin more attractive for its residents and visitors and a central building block on the way to a climate-neutral city. By focussing on infrastructure, safety and integration with other modes of transport, the city has been able to further improve its cycling culture. This goes hand in hand with the expansion of attractive offers for tourists who want to get to know and understand the city. The history of successes and roadblocks in the implementation is described in this panel in a very practical way mentioning the do´s and dont´s in this subject area.

Christian Tänzler

Christian Tänzler studied geography, business management and regional planning in Hanover and Cologne and worked for several years in the product management of tour operators before moving on to the press in the field of tourism. He headed the Press and Public Relations department for seven years at Tourismus-Marketing Brandenburg GmbH and later also at Potsdam Tourismus GmbH. For more than 18 years, he has been responsible for international media contacts and since 2019 focused on national media at the Berlin Tourismus & Kongress GmbH, is the spokesman for the company and an impassioned cyclist. Since 2021, he has been working on the federal board of the ADFC for the further development of cycle tourism.

Moniek Hover
Professor of Storytelling at Breda University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands
Veronique de Kort
Projectmanager at VisitBrabant Routebureau

Storytelling and routes: design, development and marketing in 7 steps

The province of Brabant is well-known for its excellent bicycle infrastructure, its beautiful countryside, and its many attractions. Since 2019, Breda University (professorship Storytelling) and Visit Brabant have been working together in the creation, development and marketing of bicycle routes based on well-known local and regional stories. 

In this very practical session, we will share the 7-steps method we use for the creation, development and marketing of these routes. We will briefly go into some principles and techniques of storytelling, how to integrate points of interest (lieux de memoire and lieux d’imagination), how to match logic of the storyline with the logic of the route and the logic of the entrepreneurs along the routes. After this, we will show how the development and the online and offline marketing of these experiential routes by VisitBrabant Routebureau takes place. Of course, we will be showing several examples through videos, photos and other materials.

We will conclude by sharing some do’s and don’ts when it comes to storytelling-based routes. 

Moniek Hover

Dr. Moniek Hover is Professor of Storytelling at Breda University of Applied Sciences. She received her PhD degree for “The Efteling as a ‘Narrator‘ of Fairy Tales” (2013). Since 2019, together with Visit Brabant and local partners Moniek creates experiential cycling routes based on storytelling, specifically around Folktales and Legends, Made in Brabant, and the Dutch-Belgian border. With her team, Moniek provides storytelling-based design projects in the field of leisure, tourism and cultural heritage. This entails concepts, storylines, scripts, dialogues, and interactive digital applications, e.g. for Van Gogh in Brabant, Markiezenhof museum, Hanseatic Cities Marketing, Groote Heide Nature Park, Libema Zoos, World War II heritage sites. Moniek’s research entails the connections between storytelling and experiences in the contexts of leisure, tourism and cultural heritage sites.

Veronique de Kort

VisitBrabant Routebureau is the partner for developing junction networks, creating experiential routes in Brabant, providing access to all route information, and promoting Brabant as the route province of the Netherlands both nationally and internationally. On behalf of the province of North Brabant and Brabant's municipalities, the bureau is responsible for the management and maintenance of Brabant's recreational route structures: cycling, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and boating. As a project manager at VisitBrabant Routebureau, Veronique oversees projects for the development or expansion of the Brabant junction network. VisitBrabant Routebureau is also the go-to partner for developing experiential routes in Brabant.

 

Marjan Gielen
Owner Destinationmakers
Marion Hoogwegt
Journalist, co-owner of spanjemagazine.net

How did the Vías Verdes become a fully-fledged tourism product in 30 years?

In Spain, there are more than 3,400 kilometres of old disused railway lines that have been recovered as cycling and hiking itineraries within the framework of the Greenways Programme, which the Spanish Railways Foundation has been promoting since 1993. Marjan Gielen cycled along the Vía Verde route Val de Zafán with her family in 2018 and became an enthusiast immediately. As she cycled, she developed the idea of doing more with the routes, so she could tell the story of the region. Together with Marion Hoogwegt, she will share the knowledge and experience with the Vías Verdes with the participants at the IBTC. They will drill down further into how you can make routes like the Vías Verdes into a fully-fledged tourism package, and how a long-term commitment is crucial to the success of a route or network or not (due to lack of commitment). 

Marjan Gielen

Marjan is a strategic marketing professional and owner of Destinationmakers. She worked for several regions in the Netherlands and beyond, using cycling and walking routes to create new concepts to tell the stories to visitors in a creative way. 

Marion Hoogwegt

Marion is a storyteller by nature, who has lived in Spain for more than 35 years. You can read about her love of Spain and sustainable travel on her blogsite MaXperience and in her latest book, ‘Duurzaam door Spanje’ (Sustainably through Spain). She works with various regions to promote less well-known routes and destinations and is co-owner of spanjemagazine.net with cycling and walking tips. As a journalist, Marion is always on the lookout for good tales to be set down in an authentic way.




Brigitte Ars
Writer, microadventurer and lecturer Tourist Experience Design at Breda University of Applied Science (BUas)
 

How to design a microadventure? 

A microadventure is a short yet transformative journey, typically lasting one to four days, where you step out of your comfort zone, tackle challenges, embrace unpredictability, and explore new experiences. These local, small-scale adventures are reshaping how we think about travel, offering exciting opportunities for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) and tour operators to engage with new audiences in meaningful ways. 
 
Join Brigitte Ars, passionate microadventurer, author, and lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences, as she shares her expert insights and actionable advice. Her motto, *“Seek the unknown in the known, not the known in the unknown,”* encourages travelers to find extraordinary adventures in their everyday surroundings. 
 
In this session, Brigitte will discuss: 

• How the concept of adventure has evolved, focusing on the journey rather than the destination.

• Why microadventures align with the desires of modern, experience-driven travelers.

• Practical strategies to create impactful, accessible microadventures that captivate your audience. 

Discover how microadventures can transform local tourism, surprise and delight travelers, and position destinations as innovative and sustainable. Don’t miss this opportunity to reimagine adventure tourism and ignite fresh inspiration for your organization! 

Brigitte Ars

Brigitte Ars, author of ‘Where is the Adventure?’, explores how to live a more adventurous life, both in travel and daily routines. Her book blends personal, journalistic, and academic insights to inspire the adventurer within us. She works as Tourism Experience Design lecturer at Breda University of Applied Sciences, designing adventures. She also runs AliceGoesWild.nl and the ‘Avontuurlijk Leven’ podcast, promoting microadventures and an adventurous mindset.

Eric Nijland
Director Fietsplatform
Frank Hart
Advocacy coordinator at Wandelnet

Research as a basis for improving cycling and walking routes 

To maintain knowledge about the quality and use of cycling and walking routes and route networks, Landelijk Fietsplatform (Dutch cycling platform) en Wandelnet (walking net) collect and analyse existing research. If necessary, we conduct additional research. Based on this, we are able to translate new developments into advice for high-quality and easy-to-find recreational and touristic routes.

In addition to research, geodata also play an increasingly important role in both the management and development of recreational route networks and in putting the importance of cyclists and walkers on the agenda.

In our breakout session we provide insight into the research and data that play the most important role in the improvement and renewal of routes and route networks. Among others we will discuss:

- Our route database and routes reporting point.

- User studies of cycling and walking networks.

- Market research on walking and cycling and leisure lifestyles.

- Geodata for analyses and advice.

Eric Nijland

As director of Fietsplatform (Dutch Cycling Platform, the National coordination center for cycle tourism) Eric Nijland has frequent contact with colleague organizations abroad and has held several presentations about the Dutch cycling network.

Frank Hart

Wandelnet's mission is to make the Netherlands more beautiful for walkers. Together with colleagues and a large group of volunteers, I implement this by convincing organizations and people of the importance and added value of walking.